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The Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) was established in 1999. It was the eighth community court established in the United States, and the first established in Texas.

The purpose of the Downtown Austin Community Court is to collaboratively address the quality of life issues of all residents in the downtown Austin community through the swift, creative sentencing of public order offenders.

The court operates as a problem solving and rehabilitative court and provides referrals to supportive services for offenders. A majority of the offenses adjudicated through DACC are committed by defendants who are homeless, and a disproportionate number of offenses are committed by a small number of defendants who cycle through the criminal justice system at a high cost to all community services systems.

Community Court initially focused on the downtown area; 44% of public order offenses committed in Austin occurred in this area. After successfully handling of the downtown area, the city added East Austin and the West Campus area to the Community Court's jurisdiction.